Star-Shaped Santa Ornament

Donna
by Donna
4 Materials
$9
2 Hours
Easy

The winter holidays will soon be here and I'm looking forward to it! Winter crafts are some of my favorites. Add in Christmas cookies and carols and I'm in my happy place! I'm staying in more because of COVID, so I've got an early start on some of my holiday projects. My first craft project is this cute star-shaped Santa ornament! Made from polymer clay, this little guy would be a cheerful addition to any holiday decorating. It's also a great beginner project if you want to try working with polymer clay. This ornament only uses a few colors of clay and can be made with some handy items you have around the house.

Materials


There's few brands of polymer clay that you can buy, but I suggest Sculpey brand for this project. The colors you will need are:


  • Red or green for your star body - I used about 1/2 a block for my ornament
  • The flesh color of your choice for the face
  • White for the details - Sculpey makes a white clay, a pearl color, and a white with glitter. Any of these choices would be great for this project.
  • Blue, black, or brown for the eyes
  • Green (optional) for some decoration


Tools:

You can use clay tools for this project, if you have them. Otherwise, you can just use some simple items you have around the house:


  • A hard piece of plastic for cutting, like a credit card
  • A dowel for rolling out your clay
  • A round pen top for shaping
  • Some buttons with a design, or rubber stamps, for adding decoration
  • Wax paper to use as a work surface
  • Aluminum foil for baking
Directions


The first step is to cut out a star shape. I have a template for a thick armed star on my blog that you can use.


Roll out the clay for your star body so that it is 3/16 of an inch thick. Make your piece of clay large enough to accept your star template.


Then cut out your star shape using a clay cutting tool.


(Optional) Use some fancy buttons or rubber stamps to create a design across your star. Do not decorate the top arm of your star.

The Face


Now roll a small ball of flesh color clay. Press this ball flat to create a oval shape. Shape the sides so your oval shape is slightly rounded in the center.


Place this oval at the base of the top arm of your star (see photo above). Press this oval gently in to your star so that it sticks in place.

Working with your white color, roll a thin snake of clay using your fingers.


Cut your roll of clay in to five shorter pieces of the same length. Gently roll each of these pieces so one end is slightly rounded.


Carefully place these five pieces of clay under your oval to create a beard for your Santa (see photo above). Press gently in to your star shape. Don't worry about the seam between the face and the beard.

Continue to add the details to your Santa face. I have full directions for these steps on my blog.

After the face is complete, it is a good time to move your star to a piece of aluminum foil. Continue to add more details to your Santa working on the foil.


Take the scraps of clay from cutting out your star and form them into a flat triangle shape. The base of this triangle should be as wide as your Santa's face.


Shape the top of your triangle into a long point. Your triangle can be uneven to look like an elf hat.


Roll the top point down to create a curl in the top of your Santa hat. If you don't like the way it looks, you can cover it with a round ball of white clay.

Place your Santa hat on top of the head. You can trim the head flat so that your Santa hat fits across the face if you need. Don't worry about the seam between the hat and face.


Press the sides of the hat around the top arm of your star so that it is covered.


Finish off the details for the hat by following the steps on my blog. Be sure to add a loop (see my blog) for hanging your ornament.


Bake your ornament according to the manufacturer's instructions. Then let cool completely.

The Finishing Touches


Once your ornament is completely cool, use can use a pink crayon to add a little blush to your Santa's nose and cheeks.


Then add a piece of ribbon or twine to hang your ornament and enjoy!


I hope you have a wonderful holiday season!

Resources for this project:
See all materials
Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Hometalk may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.More info
Donna
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Go
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
Comments
Join the conversation
4 of 14 comments
  • Rosemary Rosemary on Nov 19, 2021

    I love it. Love working with clay. Make sure my hands are clean working with white after red.

    • Donna Donna on Nov 19, 2021

      So glad you like this project! Hope you enjoy some fun crafting this holiday season! Thanks for commenting!

  • DN DN on Nov 07, 2022

    I love your whimsical style! Super cute! ❤️

Next